Next Generation Retailers Heading To MAPIC 2013

PARIS, Oct. 24, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- From pop-up shop marketers to retail managers in metro locations, a new generation of retail property actors is coming to MAPIC. Start-ups Storefront (USA) and Appear Here (UK) and well-established Transport for London (UK), are among the companies that will unveil their innovative initiatives at MAPIC 2013.

Organised by Reed MIDEM, MAPIC, the International Retail Property Market, will be held in Cannes from 13 to 15 November.

"The revolution in consumer habits is spurring the industry to think about innovative business models. That is why MAPIC will be featuring this new generation of players specialising in new formats that go beyond the traditional shopping experience," explains Nathalie Depetro, Director of MAPIC.

Surfing on the very recent trend in pop-up shops, the American start-up Storefront is positioning itself as a facilitator between retailers and owners of premises by offering short-term leases. The idea is to provide an opportunity to brands or pure players looking for outlets to test their concept over a short period and evaluate the relevance of a bricks & mortar presence. Since this web platform began six months ago by offering more than 300,000 square meters of retail space, hundreds of pop-up stores have emerged, mainly in city and town centres. One of its creators, Erik Eliason, will overview the runaway success of this project at a conference to be held at 4.15pm on 14 November.

Applying the same concept, the British start-up Appear Here, which offers retail spaces in London, Liverpool, Bristol and Bath, will attend the MAPIC Innovation Forum. This forum comprises an exhibition and conference area in the Palais des Festivals where it will showcase new players in digital commerce such as Cykomm (USA), Attraktion! (Austria), Fidzup (France), Invalio (France) or Euro CS Group (France).

Just as shopping opportunities have developed in railway stations and airports, metros are gradually changing into shopping centres, offering travellers a comprehensive range of goods and services. This is evidenced by Transport for London, the company that runs the London Underground, which has become one of the most significant retail landlords in the city. With the appointment of a Head of Retail, Stuart Anderson, who previously worked for the Westfield shopping centre in London, the company aims to expand and reinvent retailing in the London Underground.

"In recent years, the retail offer on the Underground has not been actively managed. We are now firmly committed to improving the quality of shops across the 270 stations for the 1.2 billion people using the Underground every year. We are working with some of the UK's leading high street and supermarket brands alongside some good quality independents. The London Underground has a unique character and it is important that the retail offer compliments this. The Underground has limited available space, the advances in technology has meant that brands can now create formats to suit the environment and reach the growing footfall," says Stuart Anderson who will speak further about this topic at a MAPIC conference at 3.30pm on 14 November.

Founded in 1963, Reed MIDEM is a leading organiser of professional, international tradeshows. Reed MIDEM events have established themselves as key dates in professional diaries. The company hosts MIPTV, MIPDOC, MIPCOM, and MIPJUNIOR for the television and digital content industries, MIDEM for music professionals, MIPIM, MIPIM Asia, MAPIC for the property and retail real estate sectors and LeWeb Paris and London for internet forward-thinkers.

Reed MIDEM is a division of Reed Exhibitions, the world's leading events organizerwith over 500 events in 39 countries. In 2011 Reed brought together six million active event participants from around the world generating billions of dollars in business. Today Reed events are held throughout the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Asia Pacific and Africa and organized by 33 fully staffed offices. Reed Exhibitions serves 44 industry sectors with trade and consumer events and is part of the Reed Elsevier Group plc, a world-leading publisher and information provider and a FTSE 100 company.